Functions Of The Endocrine System
1801 WordsOct 23, 20158 Pages
Unlike plants, humans require organs and systems to produce hormones. One of the major systems we need is the endocrine system. The endocrine system is the collection of glands of an organism which secrete hormones directly into the circulatory system, which then distributes the hormones to specific organs. The main endocrine glands include the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, pineal gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, gonads(testes, ovaries) and thymus. Each have specific operations that they complete which make us function properly. The study dealing with the endocrine system and its diseases is endocrinology, and many people don’t know the endocrine system, like the nervous system is an information signal…show more content… (TRH) stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to release thyroid-stimulating hormone. (GHRH) and (GHIH) work to regulate the release of growth hormone -- (GHRH) stimulates growth hormone release, (GHIH) inhibits its release. (GnRH) stimulates the release of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone while (CRH) stimulates the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone. The last two hormones—oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone—are produced by the hypothalamus and transported to the posterior pituitary, where they are stored and later released.
The pituitary gland, also known as the hypophysis, is a small pea-sized lump of tissue connected to the inferior portion of the hypothalamus of the brain. Many blood vessels surround the pituitary gland to carry the hormones it releases throughout the body. Situated in a small depression in the sphenoid bone called the sella turcica, the pituitary gland is actually made of 2 completely separate structures: the posterior and anterior pituitary glands.
Posterior Pituitary: The posterior pituitary gland is actually not glandular tissue at all, but nervous tissue instead. The posterior pituitary is a small extension of the hypothalamus through which the axons of some of the neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus extend. These neurosecretory cells create 2 hormones in the hypothalamus that are stored and